Bloo, Who?
by Sorida
Summary: Mac and Bloo are hit by a car one Friday afternoon that causes Mac to forget everything about his Imaginary Friend. Bloo and the others try to help Mac remember, but Bloo's own memory begins to fade as well as his very existence.
1. Prologue

_Summary: Mac and Bloo are in a car accident. Although they are not fatally injured, Mac doesn't seem to remember anything about Bloo. Bloo tries to help him regain his memories of all the fun times they had, but Frankie, Wilt, Coco, and Eduardo notice something strange. As Mac remains clueless about his imaginary friend, Bloo begins to lose his memory as well, his full memory. Can they get Mac to remember his friend, or will Bloo disappear from the world?_

A Foreword

Ancient folklore of the Companion Dream, otherwise known as the Imaginary Friend, depends on its creator as much as its creator relies on it. It is stated that there is a bond between creator and creation, an Empathy Link if you will, that is strong than any force on Earth. However, this energy has its limits.

An Imaginary can feel their creator's pain, their emotions, and their life. This bond makes Imaginaries incredibly in tune with human behavior and has made them more human than a simple daydream. The friendship with a creator is inseparable and impossible to come between.

When the creator dies, the creation has the choice to follow the creator or stay and find a new "host". Imaginaries rely upon their creator for their life force, their existence. If a new "host" cannot be found, the Imaginary will fade until it is no more. Most Imaginaries ask their creators what they should do, which has led to an increase in the Imaginary population.

Although certain questions pertaining to Imaginaries can be answered, there are many that remain unanswered. For instance, what if the creator completely forgot about their Imaginary counterpart? What if an event so physically and mentally traumatizing were to prevent further memory of an Imaginary? What if they were to forget their very best friend?

~ Excerpt from the AmLy Imaginary Theory, p. 77; report 7


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

As the clock chimed 3:00, Imaginary Friends all throughout Foster's enjoyed themselves. Some were watching TV, some were making sandwiches, and others were doing miscellaneous tasks. Being a Friday afternoon, everyone had enough time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the day. Well, except for one.

A small blue blob sat itself in front of the foyer's grandfather clock, anxiously awaiting his friend. As the clock began to read 3:02, he began to panic. The Imaginary Friend tried to calm himself down, but then remembered the times when the house overseer, Mr. Herriman, had put him up for adoption when Mac was running even a few minutes late. That one with the Johnsons was a close call...but they did have a Jacuzzi...

"Alright Bloo, don't panic," the blob said to himself, "Mac will be here in just a few minutes and we can play and everything will be just fine." Just as he finished, a knock came from the door. Eagerly, Bloo ran to it and wrenched it open. His smile fell when he saw a family and their kid standing in the doorway. Then, he realized his mistake.

"Hi, welcome to Foster's." Bloo greeted nervously, "Um...just wait a minute." He turned around and shouted, "FRANKIE! There are people at the door!"

"Well, did you answer it?" a voice called back.

"Yeah, and they want a friend for their kid!"

"Just show them around then!" Frankie shouted.

"Fine," Bloo grumbled before letting the family in. The kid was eyeing him, just like he...oh no. He had to ditch this family and freaking FAST!

"Uh, wait here a minute and I'll get you guys a tour guide." Bloo addressed them and then sped off to find Wilt. Sure enough, Wilt was in the other room watching TV with Eduardo and Coco.

"Oh, hola Azul." Eduardo greeted, "Um, what es you doing here?"

"Wilt!" Bloo shouted, "Give the family in the foyer a tour of Foster's, now!"

"Why?" Wilt asked, "I'm sorry, but can't you do it yourself?"

"No, I'm too special to do it." Bloo answered. Coco frowned.

"Cocococo Coco!" Coco shouted.

"What? Wait, what time is it now?" Bloo asked, now paranoid.

"Co Coco." Coco replied.

"3:15? Wilt, please! Help a poor guy out and do it!" Bloo pleaded.

"Wait, Mac's not here yet?" Wilt asked.

"No! Why else would I actually bother asking first? I knew you'd say yes! Mr. Herriman's going to put me up for adoption and I have to go find Mac before that kid out there adopts me!" Bloo shrieked.

"But, you never asked."

"That beside the point!" an aggravated Bloo yelled.

"Ok, I'll do it. Eduardo, Coco, you guys make sure that kid doesn't adopt Bloo, and no Coco, nothing illegal." Coco frowned.

"Si Wilt!" Eduardo said as he and Coco left the room.

"Bloo, just stay in here until I get the family out of the foyer, got it?"

"Yeah, got it." Bloo answered. He needed to get outside of Foster's and fast. Who knows what could have happened to his bestest buddy in the whole world? Maybe those ninja-zombies attacked him...

The distant sound of voices snapped Bloo out of his reverie. He poked his head out of the door to make sure nobody was there and made a beeline for the door. Opening it quietly, he slipped outside of the house and proceeded down the sidewalk.

"Alright, now I have to rescue poor Mac from alien invaders!" Bloo proclaimed and sped off in the direction of Mac's school. Halfway there, Bloo spotted Mac about to cross the street. Bloo sighed in relief seeing his creator two streets away from him. He crossed his street and waited for Mac at the other end of the crosswalk.

"Hey Bloo!" Mac shouted while waiting for the "Walk" sign from the streetlights.

"Hey Mac!" Bloo waved back. With a *ding*, the white walking sign lit up and Mac began to cross. Bloo decided to meet him halfway and started across himself. They never saw the car coming.

Once they were two feet away from each other, a car sped down the street. Bloo and Mac both turned and tried to get away, but never did. In a flash, both friends were knocked back onto the pavement as the car squealed to a halt after impact. The driver got out of the car and dialed 911.

Minutes later, Bloo opened his eyes and immediately saw Mac lying on the ground across from him. Shakily crawling over to his creator, Bloo finally saw his friend's terrible condition.

Cuts and bruises covered his face and a red puddle was beginning to form around his head. Bloo crawled closer, unable to muster the strength to walk, and reached out to Mac. He quickly recoiled and hissed in pain as he realized his left arm was broken. He then reached out with his right and grabbed Mac's hand.

Bloo's eyes widened in fear; he felt his creator's critical condition, unknowingly using the Empathy Link between them. His best friend was dying, and he could sense every agonizing minute of his demise. Deep within himself, Bloo could feel his own energy, his own life force, wanting to get out of his body. He knew what he had to do.

Focusing purely on instinct, Bloo took a deep breath and let his own energy merge with his creator. Any excess energy given off from his adrenaline rush was focused on keeping his creator alive. Energy poured into the boy and Bloo could sense his success. After a few more seconds, Bloo released Mac's hand and finally succumbed to his own exhaustion and injuries and slumped to the ground beside Mac. Now facing the way he came, Bloo noticed a fine trail of red starting from his previous location. His vision grew fuzzier by the minute.

"Huh, would you look at that..." Bloo mumbled incoherently. The driver finally seemed to have noticed the small blob and was relieved to see it alive. They also noticed the boy lying next to it, his chest steadily rising and falling. The driver remained stunned for a minute, but was snapped back into reality by the nearing sound of sirens. A few seconds later, the police and an ambulance arrived on the scene.

A police officer walked over to the driver and asked a few questions, then wrote something down on his notepad. Meanwhile, another officer was making a cell phone call to the most likely place responsible for Imaginary Friends. A doctor walked over to the two friends with a team readied with a gurney.

Mac was brought aboard the ambulance first, him in the most critical condition. As the people took him away, Bloo tried to reach out to Mac. The officer, now off of the cell phone, noticed the Imaginary and leaned down towards him.

"Hey you guys! This little one is still conscious!" he shouted. Soon, everyone on the scene had crowded around Bloo and the doctor gently picked him up. Bloo tuned everyone out, energy draining rapidly. He had decided for himself much earlier that if he and Mac were in a dire situation, Mac came first. Besides, Foster's didn't need two dead people to deal with.

Bloo drifted in and out of consciousness for the next few seconds. As he was put into the ambulance alongside Mac, he could make out the Foster's bus speeding to their location. An officer walked over to the soon parked bus and told the driver to follow the ambulance. Bloo's eyes slipped shut as the ambulance doors closed in front of him.

*10 minutes earlier at Foster's*

"Hey, Wilt have you seen Bloo?" Frankie asked the tall Imaginary Friend.

"Oh yeah, he went to go get Mac. There was a family at the door that wanted to adopt so Bloo decided to go find Mac before Herriman adopted him off again." Wilt replied. Frankie's eyes widened.

"You mean, you let him out _alone?_" she shouted.

"Yeah, he-" Wilt slapped his forehead, "I am so stupid."

"Ok, we'll just have to go find him then. After all, he just went to meet Mac at school. Nothing too bad could have happened. I'll go find them." Frankie was just about to leave when the phone rang. She picked it up and answered, "Hello, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. How can I help you?"

"This is Officer Charles, is this Frankie Foster?"

"Yes. Wait…did Bloo go to jail again? Honestly, this will be the fifth time this month!"

"No, Bloo's not in jail…but there has been an accident."

"Oh no..." Frankie panicked, "What happened to him?"

"Well Frankie," he started, "some driver was speeding and didn't see the two crossing the street. They were both hit and both are unconscious."

"Wait, both?" Frankie clutched the phone, fearing the worst. The officer sighed.

"I'm afraid his friend was hit too. A small boy with a green backpack and brown hair, you know, the kid that comes over every day."

"Mac…" Frankie whispered.

"We are at the east end of Wilson Way. We'll give you a police escort to the hospital as soon as you arrive."

"Thank you officer, I'll be there in a minute." Frankie hung the phone up and then shouted, "Wilt! Eduardo! Coco! Get down here right now!" Said Imaginary Friends came running into the foyer.

"Honestly," Mr. Herriman scolded, "No running in the halls!"

"You called us?" Wilt asked.

"Yeah, you guys, something happened to Mac and Bloo. We need to get them."

"Cococo?" Coco asked.

"I'll explain to you on the bus. Come on!" All four ran out of the old Victorian and into the multicolored bus. "Ok you guys; now don't cry Eduardo, Mac and Bloo…" How could she phrase this gently?

"What?" Wilt asked, concern growing larger and larger.

"Es señor Mac ok?" Eduardo asked, tears threatening to leave his eyes.

"Coco?"

"No Coco, Bloo's not that stupid. Well, he is pretty…no, not now." Frankie stopped herself mid-sentence and sighed. "You guys, Mac and Bloo were in a car accident."

"Coco Coco Co?" Coco asked suspiciously.

"No, Bloo wasn't driving anything this time. Thank goodness. Anyway, they were hit by a speeder and they're both unconscious." Eduardo burst into tears.

"Awe, it's ok Ed. Mac and Bloo will be fine. Right Frankie?" Wilt looked to her. She sighed.

"They'll be alright. They have to be." She whispered the last part to herself more than anybody. They arrived at the small barricade created by all the police cars shortly. A police officer walked over to the bus and motioned for Frankie to open the door. She obliged.

"We will give you an escort to the hospital. The medics just finished loading the two into the ambulance. Poor little fellow was still conscious when we put him in." Frankie gasped.

"Which one?" she asked.

"The little blue blob Charles knows."

"Bloo! Was Mac ok?"

"His case is quite surprising actually. There's a piece of metal lodged into the back of his head, but when we found him, his breathing and heart rate were stable. Incredible if you ask me."

"And Bloo was still conscious?"

"Um…yeah, it's quite surprising actually. He's in terrible condition right now. Miss, what are you getting at?"

"Just wondering. So, about that escort…"

"Right, follow me ma'am." The officer climbed into his car, turned on his siren, and led the Foster's bus to the hospital so quickly that they saw the ambulance pull into the parking lot. Frankie parked quickly and ran inside tailed by the other three Imaginaries.

"Excuse me," Frankie said to the receptionist, "Could you tell me where Mac C. McCracken and Blooregard…um…" she turned to the others and whispered, "I forgot his full name. I can't believe it! I shouts it often enough!"

"I'm pretty sure it's Blooregard Q. Kazoo." Wilt replied.

"Sorry about that," she smiled nervously, "Could you tell me where Mac McCracken and Blooregard Q. Kazoo are?"

"Ah yes, Mr. McCracken is in the Operation Ward now." The receptionist answered.

"Thanks, and Bloo?" Frankie asked again.

"Oh yes, one of _their_ kind." She replied, pointing to Eduardo. He yelped and hid behind Wilt.

"Listen to me you wife of a biscuit-eating bulldog," Frankie hissed, "Imaginary Friends are people as much as you and me are. Now, I'll ask this again before I have to drag an Extreme-O-Saur in here, where is Bloo?"

"The Imaginary you're looking for is in Ward A, room 113."

"Come on guys, let's go." Frankie headed for the ward accompanied by Wilt and Coco. Eduardo stayed behind for a minute to address the receptionist.

"You es a big fat meanie head!" he said and stomped away. The receptionist gave the group a glare and then went back to filing papers.

…

"113, 133, ah ha! Here it is!" Frankie exclaimed. The group entered the room and saw Bloo squirming in his sleep. His arm was in a cast and white sheets were pulled up to where his neck would be. Some drip was attached to him; something similar to an IV specifically engineered for Imaginaries, and was attached to his other arm.

Wilt found it odd to see the energetic little blob of mischief so weak and frail-looking. Those hospital sheets just made him look so…puny.

"No…not…can't…Mac…" Bloo muttered in his uneasy sleep. Frankie grabbed a chair from the opposite wall and pulled it up next to the bed.

"Let's wait for him to wake up." Frankie told the others, "Besides, he's got to wake up soon. From past experiences with Bloo and nightmares, he always wakes up and screams…and then wakes up everyone in the house." Bloo continued to shift and struggle, the other unknowing of the horrors running through his mind.

_A/N: So, I needed a break from Invader Zim so I started re-watching Foster's due to a chocolate milk related incident. I had the urge to write stuff for it and then this happened! I've got so much more planned (96 ideas of all types of categories to finish), but hopefully I'll finish this before going back to the other projects. Chapter 2 is already started and halfway done! Yay! Well, I'm out._


	3. Chapter 2

_When Bloo opened his eyes, he found himself in a hospital. Looking around the room, he smiled slightly, realizing that this was the same room that he and Mac had been hospitalized in after their 30 mile race. He walked around the room and then froze as soon as he saw the bed._

_Mac was lying stone still underneath the bright white sheets. Wilt, Frankie, Coco, and Eduardo were all crowded around him with tears in their eyes. Just from their expressions, he could see what had happened._

_"No, no! I don't believe you!" Bloo shouted to them. He blocked his "ears" with his stubby arms._

_"Face it Bloo," Frankie said, "he's gone."_

_"No!" Bloo ran right up to Mac in the bed and grabbed his hand. Nothing. Nothing resonated from the boy, the boy who befriended and created him, the boy who helped him with some awesome pranks, the boy who got him out of trouble; the boy who was his best friend forever._

_Bloo felt the tears well up in his eyes and lowered his head in submission. A red hand reached out and rested on his shoulder._

_"Bloo, I'm so sorry." Wilt said, "It'll be okay." Bloo shook his head and closed his eyes. A crunching sound caught his attention and he looked towards the source: Wilt's hand._

_Wilt's hand had begun to crack and his whole frame became frail. It looked as though he were dying from the inside. Bloo watched in horror as Wilt disintegrated and became nothing more than maroon dust on the floor. Bloo looked to the others._

_Eduardo grew thinner and thinner until he became an anorexic twig. His horns and belt buckle clattered to the floor as Ed shriveled up into what resembled a raisin in the sun._

_Coco's eyes popped out their sockets as her tree withered and died. The airplane body grew rusted and her legs collapsed under the weight. Bloo tried to look away from her eye-less sockets; making the mistake of backing up into Frankie. He slowly turned around to face her. He screamed at the sight of the caretaker._

_Blood poured out of Frankie's mouth, nose, and eyes, covering the floor in a bloody pool. Frankie clamped her blood-stained hands around Bloo's body and spoke._

_"You did this to us. It is your fault." Blood continued to cover Bloo as he tried to squirm away from her grasp._

_"No it's not! I don't even know what's wrong with you!" Bloo shrieked._

_"Maybe not us," Frankie replied, the blood in her throat muffling her speech and gurgling in her throat, "but you are responsible for him." she let Bloo go and, with her last breath, pointed to Mac. Despite being covered in the sticky red liquid, Bloo raced back over to Mac. Suddenly, Mac's eyes shot open and focused in on Bloo._

_The boy's face was white instead of its healthy tan shade. Bloo winced as his mentality merged with his creator's. There was something wrong though. As he probed through Mac's mind a bit, he collapsed and held his head. Anger, fear, abandonment, depression, desperation, angst, humiliation, and every negative emotion possible flowed through to Bloo's own mind. He tried desperately to draw his mind away, but failed miserably. Pain cascaded into his small frame and he could do nothing about it. He whimpered as Mac shook his shoulder._

_"Bloo, did you even try to save me?" he asked quietly. Bloo cracked an eye open and instantly wanted to berate Mac for the accusation._

_"Of course I did Mac!" Bloo replied._

_"Then, why did I die?"_

_"I don't know! I'm so sorry Mac! I thought you were fine so I stopped the energy flow before it could kill me!" Bloo clenched his eyes shut and shouted, "I didn't even know what the heck I was doing! I was just following my gut instinct and it told me to stop when I did!"_

_"You are so selfish." Mac glared up at him. His pale figure rose out of the bed and walked towards Bloo. Bloo picked himself off of the floor, still tightly clutching his head, and backed away._

_"Please Mac, I tried my best! There was nothing else I could do! That was the only thing I thought of and I wanted to save you! Mac, I'm your best friend and you're mine. I never wanted you to die! I don't know what I'm going to do Mac…I tried…I really did…"_

_"You didn't try hard enough to save me Bloo!" Mac shouted. "You are a failure! I never should have created you!"_

_"Mac, please understand! I'm sorry!" Bloo cried out, tears streaming down his blood stained face._

_"Sorry isn't going to fix this!" Mac picked up a nearby crutch; then nailed Bloo in the chest with it. "Sorry isn't going to save me!" He hit Bloo again and again. Bloo could feel his ribs breaking, the blood filling his lungs._

_"Mac, please stop!" he shrieked again. He could taste that disgusting copper sensation in his mouth._

_"No Bloo! This is what you deserve!" Mac hit him again. Bloo let out a whimper and let the blood flow from his mouth, choking him, and taking in Mac's anger and pain. In his last seconds, Mac knelt down to eye level, glared at his creation, and said one final sentence._

_"I hate you Bloo."_

Frankie, Wilt, Eduardo, and Coco could only watch as Bloo struggled in his sleep. The doctors told them to wake the Imaginary if he threatened to rip out the stitches in his sleep. Frankie decided to wake the little guy up; his tossing and turning had become much more violent and he was shaking. She knelt over the small blob and shook his good shoulder gently.

"Bloo, Bloo," she said softly, "wake up."

"No...please...Mac..." Bloo muttered, sweat beading his forehead.

"Bloo, wake up!" she said a bit more forcefully.

"...sorry...no..." Bloo muttered. Frankie thought for a minute, and then smirked.

"Bloo, if you don't wake up right now, I'll burn all of your paddleballs. Better yet, I'll just give them all to Herriman." As if on cue, Bloo sat up in the hospital bed with his eyes wide.

"NO!" he shouted.

"Cool, it worked." Frankie remarked.

"Mac's not dead, I know he's not!" Bloo shouted, not fully back to reality yet. When he made a move to get up, Frankie gently pushed him back down into the bed.

"Whoa there, you aren't going anywhere." Frankie told him. Bloo panted and finally took in his surroundings. He was in the hospital, but everyone was crowded around him instead of Mac. The next thing he noticed was the pain. Bloo winced and tried to contain it to himself, not wanting Mac to feel it. Then, the nightmare caught up to him.

Bloo covered his mouth with his right arm (the left one in a cast) and tried to get his message across. Frankie got it immediately and plopped a plastic bag onto Bloo's lap. The others cringed as Bloo threw up while Frankie patted his back. Once he was done, he coughed a bit and fell back into the pillows exhausted. There was some sort of throbbing pain in his head, pain that was not his. His eyes widened again.

"Where's Mac?" he asked, voice hoarse.

"He's getting some surgery done. He got a concussion from the accident and they had to remove a bit of shrapnel from the back of his head." Frankie replied, than frowned. "Hey guys," she addressed the other

Imaginaries, "can I talk to Bloo privately?"

"Of course." Wilt replied.

"Si señorita." Eduardo said.

"Coco."

"Thanks guys." They all left the room and Frankie turned her attention back to Bloo. "Bloo, what happened?"

"Well...Mac was late and there was a family at the door wanting to adopt. I panicked and told Wilt to give them a tour since Mac wasn't there yet and I left Foster's to go and find him. I found him at a crosswalk and when the light turned on, we decided to meet each other in the middle and then some car came out of nowhere and hit us." Bloo explained.

"Bloo, when you were hit, were you still conscious?" she asked although she knew the answer. She just had to know if he did what she thought he did, even if he didn't know it himself.

"Yeah, but I noticed Mac was out and then I saw his blood and panicked so I crawled over to him and grabbed his hand. It was like I could feel his pain," Bloo drifted off.

"You could?"

"I could feel him...dying." Bloo whispered, "I did something to him, but I don't know what and then I passed out."

"Bloo, do you know what you did?" Frankie asked. He shook his head. "You performed something we call a Life-Support Maneuver. Only Imaginary Friends with a strong bond with their creator can do. I know Grandma and Herriman can, but I didn't know anyone else could until now. Well, I didn't expect anything less from The Comeback Kid and his Imaginary."

"So, I saved Mac?" Bloo asked.

"Yeah, you did. The doctors said that he'd be fine, but he might have some brain damage." Bloo gasped. "Don't worry, they told me that the chances were pretty slim since the metal didn't make it through to the brain and the fact that his condition was as good as it was."

"Can I see him?" he asked with huge puppy-dog eyes. Frankie smiled.

"We arranged for him to share a room with you. You'll see him soon." Bloo smiled.

"Ok, so how long do I have to stay here?" he asked. There was something unwelcoming about the place, almost as if the people working there didn't want to save him.

"I'm not sure Bloo," Frankie replied, "the receptionist didn't seem to keen to having Imaginary Friends here, so I don't know how the other workers will react. It's not often that an Imaginary survives alongside their creator."

"What do you mean?" Bloo worriedly clutched the sheets around him and drew them up to his face. What was that supposed to mean anyway?

"You sure you want to know?" Bloo nodded and Frankie sighed, "Well, Imaginary Friends are created to care for their creator. In most cases of accidents involving creators and creations, the creators are the ones who always come out alive with little to no injury. The Imaginary usually…um…" Frankie scratched her head. How could she put this gently? Thankfully, she didn't have to finish.

"I understand," he replied sadly, "so if it were another Imaginary, Mac wouldn't even have been hit by the car." He covered his eyes with his good arm, "So he was right, I am a failure. It's my fault that he was hurt and that he could have died!" Frankie wrapped her arms around the melancholy blob.

"No, no, no Bloo, Mac's fine, remember? I'm sorry I said that Bloo, I shouldn't have." As Frankie comforted Bloo, the door suddenly burst open. Both looked up, expecting Mac to walk in, but instead found a doctor.

"Oh good, you're up," the doctor said, "Now, I have to ask you to leave." Frankie's jaw dropped open.

"What?" she screamed.

"Well, we need the room for two more patients. Two human patients." He replied, glaring at the small azure blob. Bloo sunk a little further under the covers.

"Oh, and Imaginary Friends don't have the right to be here too? This hospital is large enough to hold him! I mean, look at him! He can barely speak, so much as walk out of here! Now, you barge in here and ask him to leave? Yeah, I don't think so mister." Frankie crossed her arms and stood her ground.

"Listen, this hospital isn't for Imaginary patients, it's for human patients. Just bring it to Foster's or something, I'm sure they're prepared for this type of thing." As he spoke, the doctor walked over to Bloo and removed the drip from his arm.

"How did I not notice that?" Bloo asked himself aloud, completely oblivious to the glare-down between Frankie and the doctor.

"Besides," the doctor continued, "Imaginaries heal faster than humans. I'm sure it'll be fine in a week or so. There's nothing else to do."

"He needs to rest! He was just hit by a car along with his friend! In fact, Mac should be here shortly." Bloo's expression lit up. Ok, now things just got interesting.

"Mr. McCracken? Yes, he's assigned to this room as well as another human counterpart." the doctor said curtly, aiming the statement mostly at the only Imaginary in the room. Bloo glared at him.

"Hey, Mac's my best friend and creator! Once he wakes up from whatever the heck it is you gave him, he'll be asking to see me, not you, me." Bloo pointed to himself. "Now, I'm going to wait here until he comes and there's nothing you can do or say to change my mind." Bloo crossed his arms and put on his most stubborn expression.

"If you were a true Imaginary Friend, Mr. McCracken wouldn't be in this hospital and neither would you." Bloo's eyes widened. "That's right, I know all about these sorts of things. I know how much Imaginaries care for their creators and their mutual bond. I also know that no Imaginary should make it out alive if something life-threatening were to happen to their creator." Bloo looked down and closed his eyes in submission. Usually, he would look this jerk back in the face and kick him in the shins for telling him such a lie. But Frankie had told him exactly the same thing only minutes earlier. Taking advantage of the situation, the doctor leaned over and whispered, "You should be dead."

Frankie couldn't take it anymore and ran out of the room. Seconds later, another doctor appeared by her side.

"Dr. Odium, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be assisting the patients of Ward C. Now leave this room at once, this is my patient." The doctor pointed to the door and glared as the other left. "I'm so sorry for that intrusion; I'll personally make sure that he doesn't return to this room." He promised Frankie.

"Thanks Dr. Ferguson," she smiled, "Bloo, this is one who treated you. Dr. Ferguson, this is Bloo."

"Pleasure to meet you." Dr. Ferguson greeted, "I'm so sorry about Odium, he's got some little grudge against Imaginary Friends as most seem to have around here. I'll inform you, you are the first Imaginary to be admitted to this hospital and some people aren't taking it very well. However, my team and I have agreed to treat both you and your friend, don't you worry about a thing. Now, I think it's time to let your friends come back in."

"Right, Wilt! Eduardo! Coco! You can come back now!" Frankie hollered. Sure enough, all three walked back in.

"I'm sorry, but some of those people aren't very nice." Wilt remarked.

"I hear ya buddy, some lousy doctor came in here and told me to leave!" Bloo replied. Wilt sat down next to Bloo's bed. As he did, he noticed something off about the little blob.

"Hey Bloo, are you ok? I mean, I know you were just hit by a car, but it looks like you have something on your mind."

"What, me? No, I'm fine. No need to worry! Yeah, um…I just…I'm just, uh, worried about Mac. Yeah, that's it! I'm worried about Mac." Bloo replied. All worry left him when he noticed that Wilt bought the semi-lie. He was worried for his creator, but what Frankie and that jerk-face said earlier was unsettling.

"I understand. I'm sure Mac will be just fine, don't worry about it." Wilt said, patting Bloo's head in the process. At that moment, Mac's bed rolled into the room accompanied by two nurses. Eduardo whimpered and nearly fainted from seeing him. His head was wrapped in bandages and bruises were clearly visible on his face. As the nurses rolled Mac's bed to the other side of the room, Bloo rubbed his head. There was something off about Mac…something felt like it was missing.

"Coco?" Coco asked him.

"It's nothing to worry about, just a headache." Bloo replied. She didn't look convinced.

"Co Coco." She said, turning to face Mac. Once the nurses set up the equipment, they left the room. Bloo watched them leave, and then his jaw dropped as two people walked through the door. This couldn't be happening! No, it couldn't happen! But it was…

Bloo could only watch in horror as Mac's mom and Terrence both walked through that door.

_A/N: And that's the end…of this chapter. Of course she was going to be mentioned, she is Mac's mom after all and she would be notified if her son was in the hospital. She'd obviously bring Terrence with her too…bad move actually. So, Chapter 3 will be on its way (hopefully) soon._


	4. Chapter 3

"Bloo? Is that you?" Mac's mom asked, staring directly into his eyes. Terrence smirked.

"Yeah mom! This is what I've been telling you all along! Mac never gave up Bloo; he visits him every single day at this weirdo mansion." Terrence explained. Bloo glared at him.

"Bloo is this true?" she asked. Bloo sighed. There was no possible way to cover this up. Under different circumstances, he would have concocted some sort of explanation easily. But sharing a hospital room with three other Imaginaries in the room plus Frankie and Terrence? Nope, there was absolutely nothing to work with.

"Yes ma'am." Bloo muttered.

"You see? Mac always goes to that Imaginary place after school." Terrence added.

"Like she couldn't figure that out Captain Obvious!" Bloo shouted.

"Bloo, please. Terrence, you mean the home on Wilson Way?" Mac's mom asked.

"Yup." Terrence answered proudly.

"Way to go, you're smart enough to read street signs. Good for you." Bloo said dully.

"So? At least I'm smart enough to avoid being hit by cars!" Terrence shouted in response.

"At least I'm smart enough to save my best friend!"

"At least I'm smart enough to not let my friends get hit with cars too!"

"You don't even have any friends!"

"So, what of it? If Mac never came to visit you, he would have never crossed that street! It's your fault!" Terrence smirked, seeing that he hit a weak point in Bloo, his eyes widened in realization. As stupid as Terrence was, he had a point. If Mac had just left him at Foster's from day one, they wouldn't be in this mess.

"That's enough, both of you!" Mac's mom snapped. Both teen and Imaginary looked up in fear as her eyes scanned over them. She turned to Bloo. "Bloo, did you make Mac do this?"

"Make him do what?" he asked, "If you mean get hit by a car, then no."

"No, did you pressure him into going to Foster's?"

"No! I was trying to find somewhere to live since you told Mac to get rid of me. I just saw a commercial and then this crazy stuff happened and Mac made a deal with Madame Foster so I wouldn't get adopted." Bloo finished his abridged explanation and fidgeted with the sheets.

"So, Mac's been coming to visit you every day after school so he could still keep you, right?"

"Yes."

"Ha! See mom? I told you I was telling the truth!" Terrence shouted. He ran up to Bloo. "In your face, Bloofus!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, stop calling me that, shut up, shut up, you're stupid, shut up…" Bloo angrily muttered to Terrence.

"Make me, dork-face!" Terrence pushed his face into Bloo's and the two glared daggers at each other.

"Terrence, Bloo; that is enough!" Mac's mom scolded. The two glanced towards her again with a bit of shock. For the five years he had known her, Bloo had never heard her raise her voice like that, or here so much disappointment in it. "I've had it up to here with the two of you. Now, for Mac's sake, stop fighting."

"Ok mom." Terrence said, crossing his arms with a bitter expression playing on his features.

"Bloo, what you and Mac have done is irresponsible. I would expect more of this behavior from you, but Mac…how am I going to trust that boy again?" she said, the last bit in a whisper.

"Mrs. McCracken," Frankie started, "we all care for Mac and we were all worried sick for him. Mac's friends with all of us, and he's a sweet kid. Because of his friendship with Bloo, he met all of us, and trust me when I say that we've had the most eventful year at Foster's ever since these two showed up."

"Mac helped me find my creator again," Wilt stated, "he's a great kid Mrs. McCracken. I'm sorry, but you can't just lose your trust in him. In fact, he promised to visit Bloo every day and has kept that promise. I fully trust him with my life."

"Si señorita, Mac es my amigo." Eduardo added.

"Co Coco Coco Co." Coco said. Mrs. McCracken gave her an odd look.

"Um, no thank you. I don't want any coco." She replied.

"Oh no," Bloo said, "Coco said that she completely agrees with everyone else and that you should be proud of him for undertaking the huge responsibility that is Blo-hey! Coco! That's not cool." He huffed and crossed his arms. Coco chuckled.

"Well, I guess I can't really argue with that…" she admitted. All the Imaginaries in the room smiled. "Bloo," she continued, "now that I have heard everyone, I don't think I made it clear when I wanted you to leave. You see Bloo, I wanted the best for Mac, to have him grow up and make more friends. However, you have all made me see my mistake. I thought I could help Mac by having you move out, but obviously I was wrong. The fact that he sought you out on his own is proof of that. I've some things about Creators and Imaginaries and you two must have a strong bond just to withstand a small parting. I'm sorry Bloo."

Bloo stared back at her in awe, finally understanding her intentions, her mentality. He could see past the fatigue and worry to her inner thoughts and feelings; she loved Mac and wanted his best interests at heart, she didn't hate him. "I forgive you," Bloo said and then smirked, "but you didn't need to in the first place." She smiled. Just as Terrence was about to puke, a groan was heard. Of course, being the "tough" boy that Terrence is, he jumped a foot in the air and clung to his mom.

"Zombie!" he cried.

"No, you big fat doofus! Look!" Bloo said, pointing to the other bed. There was a bit of rustling from the covers, but in a few seconds, Mac opened his eyes.

"Mac!" Mrs. McCracken exclaimed, quickly walking towards her son. He looked up at her slightly disoriented, and then seemed to recognize her warm smile and open arms.

"Mom?" he asked confused. She nodded happily. "What are you doing here?"

"Mac, honey, you're in the hospital right now. You and Bloo were in a car accident." She explained briefly. Frankie, Wilt, Eduardo, and Coco came up to the bed to greet him.

"Glad you're ok Mac." Frankie said, relief washing across her.

"I'm sorry, but you can't scare us like that ever again. Got it?" Wilt said in mock-anger. Mac smiled, he definitely had the best friends in the world.

"Oh señor Mac! I was so worried!" Eduardo cried. Both Frankie and Wilt had to restrain him or else he would have jumped up onto Mac's bed and given him a "death hug".

"Coco!" Coco responded plainly to all the things going on around them. She then laid an egg and put it on the bed using her feet. It popped open, revealing a bouquet of flowers. Mac smiled at her.

"Thanks you guys. It's really nice to see you." He yawned as he finished. Suddenly, Bloo came out of his initially shock and eagerly looked at Mac.

"Mac buddy! You're alright! Oh man, is this going to be one heck of a story for everyone at Foster's! This is going to be bigger than that dare contest, or the thirty mile race that neither of us knows who won, or that whole best day ever thing when we were alone at Foster's, or even the Heather incidents!" Bloo rattled off excitedly. Mac raised an eyebrow.

*Who, or what, is this thing talking to me?* Mac thought, *I feel like I should know, but…there's nothing. Why? I…I know this guy…but…why can't I remember?*

Bloo finally stopped his rambling and looked at his creator. The big smile that had adorned his features moments ago fell as he truly looked into Mac's eyes. There was nothing there, no compassion, no friendship, nothing familiar about that look. His eyes were blank and expressionless.

"Um…who are you?" Mac asked. Everyone, except for Terrence, gasped. Mac shrunk back in alarm to everyone's reaction. Looking back at the blue blob, he noticed that it seemed the most hurt.

"Mac, you don't remember me? You best friend?" Bloo asked quietly. Mac shook his head. Then, it happened.

Bloo gasped as he felt something within him snap. He clutched his head as a resounding crack echoed through his mind and panicked as Mac's mentality left him for a brief moment. It returned seconds later, but weaker than before, so much weaker. Whatever the heck happened started to affect Bloo too as he felt his energy drain away bit by bit, much like when the accident occurred. Bloo shrugged that aspect off, believing it to be that weird empathy trick he used earlier, and continued to let his energy flow back to Mac. Besides, the energy leaving him was quite minimal; there was nothing life-threatening about it.

"Bloo, are you ok?" Wilt asked as he and Frankie looked at him with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Bloo replied, waving them off. He focused on Mac again and bit his lip. How would he phrase this? "Mac, my name is Bloo. Well, my full name is Blooregard Q. Kazoo." Mac nodded for him to continue. "I'm your Imaginary Friend." He could still feel those small bits of energy returning to Mac and was surprised to discover that he himself wasn't growing tired or weak. *Ha! Take that crazy, mixed-up Imaginary logic!* he thought triumphantly.

"You're my Imaginary Friend? I don't remember having an Imaginary Friend at all." Mac replied. He noticed Frankie, Wilt, Eduardo, Coco, his mom, and Terrence staying out of the conversation. Frankie was chatting away with Mrs. McCracken, informing her of Foster's and everything that's happened, while Wilt and Coco were trying to calm Eduardo down. The hospital didn't have any potatoes for him…

"Well, you created me when you were three. I've been around for five years!" Bloo exclaimed. Mac still didn't seem to believe him. He sighed. *This is getting pretty annoying. Why can't Mac remember me? Ok, calm down, I'll just have to jog his memory somehow. Let's see…I can take him back to Foster's once we're allowed to go! Yeah! And then I can show him all the stuff we did together! And I can annoy Herriman! This is going to be great!* As Bloo finished up his "plans," a nurse walked through the door.

"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over. Only the immediate family is allowed to stay." She said. Frankie walked back over to Mac a rustled his hair.

"Well kid, we'll see you tomorrow." Frankie said, carefully hugging the small boy as to not upset his injuries. Wilt, Eduardo, and Coco all said their goodbyes and walked out the door. Mac smiled as they left and yawned again.

"Go on Mac, you should probably get some sleep," his mom said, "I'll take Terrence home. I'll be back soon honey." With that, she kissed the top of Mac's head and left with the nurse followed by Terrence.

"Good riddance." Bloo said as Terrence walked past him. The two glared at each other for a moment before Terrence left the room. "So Mac, when you're better, I can show you all the awesome things we did at Foster's. Then, we can finally slide down all the stairs with the kitchen trays and-hey! You can see the corner of your apartment again! Isn't that so cool?" Bloo said happily. His smile fell when he noticed that Mac had fallen asleep.

"Um…ok, I'll just tell you tomorrow…" he said crestfallen, "good night Mac." But try as he might, the little blob could not fall asleep.

…

"_AAAHHHH!" Mac screamed as his older brother chased him around the apartment. Wait a second, what was he doing there? Wasn't he at the hospital?_

"_Stop! I just want to punch you!" Terrence shouted. Yeah, like he's really do that…_

"_Hurry up Mac, he's gaining on us!" Mac tried to look towards the source of the voice; but found he couldn't. Some unknown force was preventing it. Who was this person next to him? Just then, the scene changed to a large office. Mac noticed Mr. Herriman sitting in his chair accompanied by Frankie, Duchess, some rich family, and…what was that? He couldn't quite make out the last person in the room. To his right were Wilt, Eduardo, and Coco, all looking quite relieved. The stranger came towards him._

"_Where have you been?" it yelled, "I've been trying to avoid her all day!"_

"_Um, school." Mac replied._

"_Oh." As Mac was about to see who this person was, the scene changed once again to a junkyard. Wilt, Eduardo, and Coco were, to put it lightly, freaking out. Mac turned around and saw something being chased by some large black creature with four barbed tentacles. That "something" ran straight to Mac, leading the creature towards the two of them. Suddenly, this "thing" next to him seemed really familiar. He almost shouted out its name, but a large tentacle grasped him. Struggling got him nowhere and he was tossed into the creature's mouth._

"Mac?"

"AAHHH!" Mac sat straight up in the hospital bed, sweat beading his forehead. The room was dark and the digital clock read 2:30 AM. Taking deep breaths, he recognized the voice and turned to the blue blob at the other end of the room. What did he say his name was? Bloo?

"Hey, are you ok?" Bloo said, "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

"Yeah, I'm ok." Mac replied, calming himself down.

"Ok then, good night." Bloo rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep. Mac lay back down and looked at the Imaginary. For a second, Mac thought he saw the blob…flicker for a second or two. He dismissed it as nothing and tried to go back to sleep himself.

If only they had realized the gravity of the situation that day…

_A/N: Sorry, it took longer to update than I originally thought. ^.^' I had some class schedule stuff to work out and I just volunteered myself for honors English. I've done regular for the past two years and I think I'm going to die in that class. Why did I take up that recommendation? WHY? Anyway, I'll actually try to update this weekly since I actual know everything that's going to happen. The problem is having the attention span to write it all down…_


	5. Interlude: AmLy Update

An Excerpt:

As show through various test results, it has been proven indefinitely that Imaginaries and creators are indeed bonded for life. This has been stated in earlier reports, but I reiterate. The supposed Empathy Link has made its existence known to the corporation for years; we just didn't want to believe in what we found. I shall take the liberty to update the information as follows:

The switching of "hosts," referred to as adopting now, allows Imaginaries to continue living their lives with or without their creators alive to see it. Adopting benefits both children and Imaginaries: children unable to create Imaginaries of their own receive a close friend and the Imaginary gains a longer lifespan. However, there are downsides to this system.

Too many Imaginaries are being created and far fewer kids are wishing to adopt. Now, that doesn't mean adoption is "dead," no, just less are being adopted. From our studies, there has been an 11% decrease of Imaginaries in the population over the course of the last five years. It may not look like a lot, but it's enough to count.

The truth is, kids don't exactly want to fully give up their creation. There's always going to be some small string of attachment seen in every creator. What people don't realize is that once they die, their Imaginary will follow regardless of being adopted again.

There also seems to be ignorance going about of this metaphorical "rope". Nobody really seems to know much about the bond between Imaginary and creator. Perhaps the last living examples alive of this incredible bond are between creator and Imaginary Madame Foster and Mr. Herriman respectively. Rumors have been flying throughout the agency, but there is enough evidence within the confines of this report to fully prove the AmLy Imaginary Theory.

Back to the "rope;" the rope is an easy way to "measure" the Empathy Link mentioned previously. Depending upon how trustworthy creator and Imaginary are to each other, the rope thickens or thins. A thinner rope, or a weaker relationship, is the easiest to sever and break without a second thought about it. As a rope becomes thicker, more "strands" are added and the friendship is nearly inseparable. Once again, a prime example of it is seen with Madame Foster and Mr. Herriman.

In short, the thicker the rope, the harder to bond-break. When and if a child of this magnitude were to outgrow their Imaginary friend, the bond would take days, even weeks to deteriorate. As this has not been tested, there is no way to accurately determine how long it would take for such a bond to disappear. Even in death, it is unknown. Although the mind ceases its functions, the Imaginary does have a mind of its own and will most likely be given a few extra days to live. However, those final days may be uncomfortable or painful. In theory, the "rope" would probably begin to snap in segments at a time, spontaneously or orderly. There is no telling what would happen to the Imaginary during said incident, perhaps memory loss or full-scale deterioration. Whatever the cause, it can't be good.

~ From the desk of researcher in room #429 (name unspecified), AmLy edit, 1991. Recovered: 1995

Note: Page was partially burned when discovered. How or why is unknown. A fire was reported in the research facility back in the '50s, but this page updated a previous theory 5 years after the event. It was not found until the early '90s due to the building's collapse in '88. It is unknown if the referenced "Madame Foster and Mr. Herriman" are still alive. The rest of the report could not be deciphered due to scorch marks and disintegration. The "proof" within said file has been unearthed and is currently being studied by psychologists throughout the world.

EDIT: The last contents of the update seem out of context and have been dismissed by most Imaginary theorists. However, there is some noticeable distinction of "rope thickness" and, therefore, is a legitimate consideration. Status: Pending approval for publishing by the government.

EDIT: "Madame Foster" and "Mr. Herriman" are indeed alive, although their location is unknown.

EDIT: Rejected by government. To be discarded: 4/19/11

EDIT: From room #429: They have found my work, my proof, my life's work. Please take it and hide it safely within the confines of Wlsn. I will not return for it. Print the digital scan of the project and delete it from your computer's memory, my work must be saved at all costs. I can hear the alarms, they've found me. I do not think we shall ever meet agin, for they are nearly here. Thank you for your support and I h ope theat this will be of use for you and yoru friends. They arehere and the door isn't holding. Please, save my work. They don't want it known, afraid itll scare the children…ignorant officials. Families must know of the consequences of keeping the Imaginary, fatal things, terrible things will happen if it doesn't' become knonw. Spelling and grammar are disregarded, take my warning. They're here! I can't type faster! I have so much more that was lost. So much to tell you for the future. I'll attempt. If a child forgets their friend, you must al

~Message Sent to: *unknown address* Copy to: AmLy *unknown address*~


	6. Chapter 4

_A/N: Alright, to start this chapter off, I saw some questions pertaining to the AmLy Imaginary Theory and "AmLy" in general, so I'll answer them. "AmLy" is, what I like to call, a semi-acronym. The theory was created by two scientists, Amelia and Lynda, during the late 1940s. Their work was discredited among most of the nation due to their methods of research and mental stability, but intellectual and psychologists found logic to their studies. Both died in the mid-'50s without giving the theory a proper name, thus "AmLy" was adopted. However, the theory was forgotten and didn't resurface until the 1990s, which is where #429 updates the information._

_The controversy surrounding AmLy is connected to the racism of Imaginary Friends themselves. The hospital is one example of it. Also, if you've seen the episode "Frankie My Dear," Dylan addresses Bloo as a "thing" rather than a child or something that reflects his maturity level. Bloo looked pretty offended by that remark and it made me think about adding the racism factor since not everyone actually likes Imaginary Friends. In short, the government denied the theory due to the controversy concerning Imaginary Friends. I know, it's kind of a strange way to think, but I'm technically a minority myself and I face a bit of racism at my school. My freaking school! Oh well, as Madame Foster says, "No need to get your bloomers in a bunch!" Seriously, it's not worth your time dealing with ignorance on a daily basis. Well, onwards and upwards!_

_Oh, one more thing: Bloo is technically dying because he and (subconsciously) Mac do not want to let go of one another. They could easily have Bloo find another "host," but their promise binds them together. Plus, they don't even know about the whole Empathy Link aspect of this story or what adoption really is, which brings me to the point that the AmLy theory is going to go through a lot of revisions through the course of this story. Due to the secrecy of the AmLy theorists who fully support it, information can only come in clumps where one person revises/adds information. Another can just as easily erase said information using adequate proof and testing. For those of you who are interested, I'm planning another FHIF story concerning the AmLy theory in greater depth and their methods of "information gathering." Yes, it's a Mac and Bloo story and yes, it will have a similar style and a darker nature than this one. I hope that answered your questions! Now I'm actually going to get started!_

"Come on! I just want to go do something! Please Frankie? Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaase?"

"No way Bloo, you heard the doctor! You are not to move from this bed until the week is up!" Frankie said sternly to the small blue blob pouting in his bed. Bloo huffed and crossed his arms, careful of the left one still healing in a brace. Imaginaries heal much faster than humans (though no one has really explained why), but due to that indoor water slide incident, Bloo's arm wouldn't heal as fast as last time.

"But Frankie," Bloo whined, "it's Saturday! That's close enough to Sunday, right? C'mon, just let me go downstairs or walk around the hallway, even just a quick walk around the room. Please? I'm sooooo boooored." Bloo flopped back on the bed to emphasize his boredom. Being cooped up in a room with only Eduardo's stuffed animals and the occasional visits by the owner of said toys, Wilt, and Coco was definitely NOT enough to keep anyone sane.

"Well, I don't know, you're not supposed to move around until you get your stitches out tomorrow. I'm surprised they're not out already considering how fast you healed when you broke pretty much every bone in your body." Frankie sighed. The little guy hadn't caused much trouble for the last week and hadn't asked for anything too outrageous, not counting the first day back where he was slightly delusional due to the pain medication he was on. But, that one was to be expected.

"Please? I won't do anything too risky. Just walk around a bit."

"Bloo, you have trouble getting yourself to the closest bathroom."

"Your point?"

"Look, I just don't want you to overwork yourself. Besides, you do that often enough when you're not on bed rest." Frankie chuckled as she remembered all the outlandish things Bloo did. Foster's had become ten times more exciting (and harder to take care of) ever since Bloo showed up. As annoying as he was, Bloo did give Foster's a most needed energy boost…even if it did slightly increase her workload.

"Hey! I do not overwork myself! Name one time-" Frankie's laughter cut the rest of Bloo's sentence off.

"That one's way too easy! There's the time you hitched a ride on Eduardo's tricycle all to get one of Coco's Foster's baseball cards. Then, when you let Bendy get to you and made the house explode from water pressure. Then there's the whole Imaginary Man and Nemesister incident. Then,-"

"Alright, alright! I get it! Sheesh," Bloo mumbled and glared at the wall. Soon, his expression faltered and became downcast. The Imaginary Man memory…Mac didn't even remember what happened. Although his ego wouldn't allow him to admit it out loud, Bloo was incredibly hurt by what Mac had done. That fear and depression crept back into his mind ever since Mac asked who he was. Frankie noticed Bloo's discomfort, instantly regretting bringing up that story.

"Sorry Bloo, I forgot how touchy that was for you." She said. The blob nodded in response, eyes never meeting hers. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, "Hey, how about this: you stay here for the rest of the day and tomorrow after I take you to the doctor's, we'll go visit Mac." Frankie smiled as she watched Bloo's face light up with excitement. If it didn't cause him pain, he'd be jumping up and down with no hopes of ever stopping.

"Yes! Oh, thankyouFrankieyou'rethebestwhydidn'tyoutellmeearlierYES!" Bloo yelled joyously on one breath. Inhaling deeply, his mind concocted a plan for Mac. Once both of them could move around again, they'd spend a day together at Foster's and do their favorite activities together. They'd do everything they had ever wanted to do, maybe even the Thing. No matter what, Mac would remember him, Blooregard Q. Kazoo! His little celebration was cut off abruptly by a resounding *snap!*

It had happened before: a week ago in the hospital, two days after he went back to Foster's, and then now. Bloo didn't really bother telling anyone about it, but he did tell Frankie about the headaches. Every time it happened, he'd get a severe migraine and become exhausted. He shrugged it off as an after effect of being hit by a car. Although, this didn't happen with the water slide incident…

"Hey Frankie, I'm just going to go back to sleep now." Bloo said, his speech slightly slurred. Frankie smiled, believing Bloo had just tired himself out after his bout of happiness.

"Sure thing Bloo, I'll come back up at dinner." She turned towards the door and opened it to let herself out. Her finger flicked the lights off. Right before she left, she glanced once more at Bloo.

*Wow, he fell asleep fast.* she thought. For a second, Frankie could have sworn that she saw him…flicker. Bloo had been nearly transparent for about a half of a second, maybe less. She raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off believing it to be a trick of the light. Darkness flooded the room as the last breath of light was snuffed out by the closing door.

…

_Where was he? Was this some kind of…trick? Some sort of illusion?_

_Mac looked at the scenery; an old Victorian Mansion, a lot of Imaginary Friends, and a swing set right in front of him. A smile crept onto his face as realization finally hit him; it was Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. As quickly as that happiness came, it was quickly replaced by anger as he stomped towards the swings. However, the person, or Imaginary, he was looking for was lounging in a beach chair._

"_We were supposed to play together!" he shouted at the figure. It was that same one that appeared in every single dream. Who was it?_

"_Hmm? Oh yeah…you guys!" the figure clapped its hands and three Scribbles floated next to him. "Go play with the boy."_

"_No! That's not what I meant!" Right as he was about to scream the name, the scene changed. These dreams were starting to get pretty darn annoying! Every time that he was about to discover who this person/Imaginary really was, something would stop him. It was like a road block that would never be removed._

_When his surroundings came back into focus, he was on the roof of Foster's. Before he could even wonder why or how he got there, the figure addressed him._

"_Do you see it?" it asked him._

"_I can't…" Mac replied, not really knowing what he was looking for._

"_You can."_

"_So, left?"_

"_No, right."_

"_Now…right?"_

"_No, left."_

"_Next to the red…"_

"_Brown."_

"_Over there?"_

"_Yes, yes!"_

"_And now…left."_

"_Yes, yes! You did it!" the figure shouted with glee. Mac ignored the rambling, just wanting the thing to get to his point. "…and it's the corner of your apartment! Ho cool is that!" An apartment corner? That's why he was up here? Just to see the corner of his apartment? Some adventure that turned out to be. Before he could even yell at the thing, his dream changed again._

"_Oh, give me a break!" Mac screamed to no one in particular. Once his vision settled again, he noticed that he was in a dark room with hardly any light. Squinting, he saw the silhouette of the figure he kept trying to talk to. "Hello? Can you hear me?"_

"_Barely, it's starting to get harder." The figure replied. Mac walked forward, frightened and curious at the same time._

"_What do you mean by starting?"_

"_Well, something happened in here. First, the lights were killed. It started out as a small flicker, but then they died completely. Then, I've been losing my ability to hear in here. Heh, that sounded funny. I mean, 'hear in here?' What kind of cheesy person would say or write that out? Please, give me a break!"_

"_Um…you were saying?"_

"_Hmm? Oh, right. This has got to be the worst; I've been getting farther and farther away from that." The figure pointed to a small replica of Foster's, the object receiving the only light in the room. Next to it was a model of the apartment building as well as miniature figures of everyone Mac had ever known. Even that bully from preschool…_

"_Why is that important?" Mac said, picking up the small figure of him and Wilt. As he looked more closely, his seemed to be slightly cracked._

"_They're everything I have, everything that I am. You may see them as toys, but they are essentially me. Those are my memories, my connections; my life. As you may have noticed, your statue is cracked."_

"_But-but why mine?"_

"_I…don't have much of an answer for that. I know you're special…" the figure grabbed at its head and continued with a more pained voice. "I can't really say. I…forget now. I've been forgetting more and more, it's scaring me. You know when you get that feeling that you should know something, but you don't? That's exactly how I feel right now. I used to know, but something's been happening, something bad." A loud groan alerted the stranger out of its explanation._

"_What was that?" Mac asked._

"_It's time for you to go; I'll talk to you later. Just…promise me you'll come back." The room shook._

"_How? How will I find you again? How can I find this place?"_

"_Trust me and just trust yourself. Now, promise me you'll come back." The figure got further and further away._

"_Wait!"_

"_Please!" the voice sounded distant and strained._

"_I promise!" Mac finally shouted back. With a final flash of light, everything was gone._

…

Mac's eyes flew open with a start. It had all been a dream, a very strange dream. Who was that creature? Why did it know him so well? How did it know him? What was it?

Mac glanced at his bedside clock, discovering that it was 2:00 AM. He sighed and closed his eyes once more, hoping to find out who exactly this thing was. Perhaps it was someone he knew.

Back at Foster's, Bloo turned in his sleep and let out an unconscious groan. The fourth link had been severed and nobody knew how long it was until his mind finally went with it. In fact, nobody knew that it was occurring at all.

_A/N: I'm sooooo sorry that I haven't updated all that much. I recently got Portal 2 and I've been playing it quite a bit. Also, I've been doing some fan fiction for it as well as ChalkZone and Robotboy (the latter isn't ready yet). So, I bid you ado as I try to complete the next emotion-filled, potato-battery powered action that this story contains. See ya!_


End file.
